NHL ref leaves game on stretcher after colliding with Avalanche player

NHL referee Mitch Dunning was stretchered off of the ice during a game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night.

Dunning was skating away from the puck when Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson collided with him in the first period. Dunning hit the ice hard and was down for several moments as trainers and medical staff came out and attended to him.

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Referee Mitch Dunning, center, is stretchered off the ice after an injury during the first period of an NHL hockey game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Colorado Avalanche, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

He was later taken off the ice on a stretcher.

“Referee Mitch Dunning has been taken to hospital for precautionary reasons following a collision in the @Avalanche / @NHLFlyers game,” the league said in a post on X. “All neurological signs are normal, he is fully communicative and can move all his extremities.”

The game was delayed several minutes.

BLUES PLAYER HIT IN NECK WITH PUCK, KEEPS PLAYING BEFORE EVENTUALLY BEING STRETCHERED OFF

Referee Mitch Dunning, bottom, lies on the ice after an injury during the first period of an NHL hockey game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Colorado Avalanche, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Philadelphia.  (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Dunning is a former professional hockey player in the Ontario Hockey League. He played parts of three seasons with the Sarnia Sting and Windsor Spitfires. He suffered a serious knee injury during the 2010-11 season with the Spitfires.

He retired from hockey after he played for Windsor University during the 2012-13 season and turned to coaching before eventually getting into officiating in the Windsor Essex Referee Association in 2014.

He worked his way up the officiating ladder through the OHL, East Coast Hockey League, American Hockey League and later the NHL. He was offered a minor league refereeing contract in 2018 and promoted to the NHL in 2022.

Colorado Avalanche’s Josh Manson (42), right, talks to referee Mitch Dunning, center, as Dunning is stretchered off the ice after an injury during the first period of an NHL hockey game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Avalanche, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Philadelphia.  (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

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Dunning’s first NHL game was between the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators in March 2019, according to his NHL Officials Association bio.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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